2 We Were Just Wondering Whose Side You Are On

2. 'WE WERE JUST WONDERING WHOSE SIDE YOU ARE ON?' Hiccup was as shocked to see Snotlout there as if someone had hit him suddenly in the stomach. Snotlout was Hiccup's cousin, and he had been Hiccup's enemy ever since Hiccup had been born. When they last saw Snotlout on the battlefield back in the Amber Slavelands, Snotlout was trying to decide whether to be on on their side, or the side of Alvin and the witch. So which side had he chosen? It appeared that Camicazi and Fishlegs thought they knew the answer to that question already. 'Let's get back to the hideout,' whispered Camicazi in disgust. Fishlegs sighed. 'I'm afraid I agree.' 'Hang on a second!' whispered Hiccup. 'We can't just GO HOME and leave Snotlout here!' Fishlegs looked at Hiccup with the hollow eyes of someone who has been on the run from the Dragon Rebellion for too long. 'Hiccup,' said Fishlegs, 'I don't think that Snotlout will have chosen to be on the Dragonmarker

side. He is a lying, two-faced, treacherous villain who has betrayed you more times than I can remember, and he is almost certainly working for the Alvinsmen.' 'People can change!' said Hiccup, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm. 'You have to believe in people and then maybe they can change!' Fishlegs kept count on his fingers. 'Let's see. He tried to kill you back in that Swordfighting at Sea lesson. He tried to kill you when we were on Hysteria that time. He threw the stone that revealed you had the Slavemark back in the School of Swordfighting… He just keeps betraying you again and again.' 'This time it's going to be different,' whispered Hiccup optimistically. 'This time I'm sure he's changed… I'm convinced of it.' 'If you try and save Snotlout,' warned the Wodensfang, looking very nervous, 'you will put us all in peril. By being kind to Snotlout, you may be endangering the lives of those who are loyal to you, who have never betrayed you. Sometimes kindness can be cruelty. These are the kind of difficult decisions that a Leader has to make.' Oh, thank you Wodensfang. Very helpful. I may have mentioned this before, but: Most of us are lucky not to be Kings and Heroes, because we do not have to make the choices that Kings and Heroes have to make.

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The ice-raft creaked as one of the Wolf-fangs tipped it. Was it Hiccup's imagination, or did the dragons submerged along the edges of the riverbanks move too, at the sound of that groaning ice? At that moment, Hiccup noticed a very small, very ugly, miniature scent-dragon sleeping innocently beside Snotlout and the Hurricane on the ice. It looked like a happy little pig. It was called a Hogfly, and Hogflys are the stupidest, most good-natured dragons in the entire world. Nine pairs of eyes, dragon and human, looked at Hiccup anxiously. Hiccup loved his friends. It was his responsibility to keep them safe. But he couldn't leave a fellow human being, even if he was on the other side, let alone a poor scarred riding-dragon and a sweet, stupid little Hogfly, to a horrible fate at the talons of the dragons of the Dragon Rebellion. 'Let's save him,' whispered Hiccup. 'Let's save him!' 'Oh brother,' moaned Fishlegs. 'I know you're right, but oh brother…' 'We'll have to try and rescue him from above,' said Hiccup. 'I'll get the Deadly Shadow flying directly above the ice-raft, and then Camicazi can let down a rope for Snotlout to climb up.'

'Let me just say that I completely disagree with this decision!' whispered Camicazi fiercely. 'This is MADNESS! This is CRAZY! You've really lost the plot now, Hiccup, you Hooligan half-wit…' In one of her instant, bewildering turns of mood, she drew her sword. 'I'd better go down there,' she resolved.